PAPRIKA SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

For this super simple sourdough formula, I wanted the outside to give a hint of what’s inside, so I dusted the dough with red yeast powder before scoring it with a combination of razor blade and scissors. I really like the look, and it tasted wonderful!

PAPRIKA SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

375g white bread flour
25g spelt flour
70g sourdough starter at 80% hydration (you can use 100% if you prefer)
285g water
8g salt
1 to 2 tsps paprika

for rubbing on surface:
red yeast powder (I used this product)

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and do a bulk fermentation with 4 to 5 folds made 45 minutes apart. Before you start the fermentation , remove a very small amount of dough to a small glass container (like those that hold spices), and mark where the level of the dough is with a permanent marker. Keep that at room temperature to monitor fermentation.

After the last folding cycle, keep an eye on the fermentation using the small vial. Ideally you want to let the dough ferment until it is double in size. Depending on the day, temperature of your kitchen, it might take 8 hours or more.

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a boule and place in a banneton. Move it to the fridge, covered, and leave it there overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, sprinkle red yeast powder all over, rubbing it gently. Score with a sharp razor blade making a grid, and cut the edges with small scissors.

Bake in a Dutch oven with the lid on at 450F for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the red yeast powder because it does not fade much during baking, even if you generate steam by keeping the lid closed in the beginning of the bake. Plus, the color is exactly that of paprika, which is what I was hoping for.

My original plan was to add a little oat flake at the center of each square, but after adding the first three, I lost my Zen. Removed those and said to myself “maybe next time”…..

You cannot quite tell it has paprika, but it gets this sightly more complex flavor, plus the soft hint of color in the crumb makes is special. A lovely loaf, highly praised by the husband!

1 YEAR AGO: Spaetzle, a Classic Made Lighter

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5 YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Macarons

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7 YEARS AGO: Marshmallow Macarons

8 YEARS AGO: Fujisan Bread

9 YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Tomatoes with Hazelnut Pesto & Halloumi Cheese

10 YEARS AGO: Red Velvet Layered Cake

11 YEARS AGO: Lemon-Lavender Bars

12 YEARS AGO: Quinoa Fried Rice

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14 YEARS AGO: The Secret Recipe Club: Granola Bars

15 YEARS AGO: Awesome Broccolini

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24Jun2026

LAVENDER-LEMON COOKIES, TWO WAYS

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

One cookie dough, two outcomes. Rolled out and cut in circles, or baked in a silicone mold, then covered with chocolate. This approach is similar to a strawberry version I made not too long ago (check it out here).

LAVENDER-LEMON SUGAR COOKIE
(inspired by 100 Cookies, by Sarah Kieffer)

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon lemon extract or paste
2 cups all-purpose flour

for the glaze:
1/3 cup milk (you won’t need the full amount)
1/8 tsp lemon extract
1 + 1/2 cup powdered sugar

to coat the roses:
compound chocolate, white
purple oil-soluble food dye, tiny amount

sprinkles to decorate the cutout cookies (optional)

In the bowl of a food processor, process the granulated sugar, lavender and lemon zest together until the lavender buds are broken down. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the lavender-sugar and salt, and beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Remove the dough, form into a circle and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Roll the cookie dough and cut circles, about 3 inches in diameter. Use a portion of the dough to form small balls and stick in a rose shaped silicone mold. Bake the cookies in a 350F oven, circles until lightly golden at the edges (about 15 minutes), small roses until firm to the touch, it might take a little longer than the cutout cookies.

To finish the little rose cookies: Once the roses are cold, place the mold in the freezer for 10 minutes and then remove the baked cookies to a rack. Wash the mold, dry well. Melt white compound chocolate, divide in two portions. Leave one white, dye the other purple (using very little oil-soluble color). Marble them together, pour into the mold and immediately stick the shaped cookies. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, un-mold and if needed shave the bottom with a Microplane to tidy the edges.

To finish the rolled out cookies: make a glaze mixing the powdered sugar with milk and lemon extract until the consistency is right, not too thick, not too thin. Add the milk, a little bit at a time to the powdered sugar. Coat the baked, room temperature cookies with the glaze, then add sprinkles to decorate, if so desired. Let it set for a couple of hours.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: These cookies are very flavorful, the lavender won’t be too pronounced, just right. In the cookbook, she uses a different type of glaze, that did not work very well for me, and she sprinkled the cookies with lavender, that was a bit much for my taste. Do what you feel agrees with your tastebuds.

It is not very easy to get the chocolate coating to be fully smooth, at least I seem to have some problems with it. Maybe pouring the chocolate while warmer and banging the mold a bit on the countertop could help, but keep in mind you’ll need to work reasonably fast, as you will have several cookies to coat at once. I would not try to make more than eight at a time. Even if not fully smooth, these are delicious and I love the way they turned out…

1 YEAR AGO: Spaetzle, a Classic Made Lighter

2 YEARS AGO: Chicken Roll-ups with Asparagus

3 YEARS AGO: Flower-Shaped Dinner Rolls

4 YEARS AGO: Pride Macarons

5 YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Macarons

6 YEARS AGO: One-Two-Three Macarons

7 YEARS AGO: Marshmallow Macarons

8 YEARS AGO: Fujisan Bread

9 YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Tomatoes with Hazelnut Pesto & Halloumi Cheese

10 YEARS AGO: Red Velvet Layered Cake

11 YEARS AGO: Lemon-Lavender Bars

12 YEARS AGO: Quinoa Fried Rice

20Jun2026

CROQUE MADAME, RICE PAPER VERSION

Posted in Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

When we lived in Paris, having a “croque madame” or a “croque monsieur” was pretty much a weekly event. Thick, crusty bread, with cheese, ham, bechamel sauce, a tomato or fried egg on top. This is a much lighter version and quite fun to make, as rice paper does the job of bread, and I omitted the bechamel sauce. Once I became interested in this method, the Algorithm Gods started flooding me with ways to use (and sometimes abuse) rice paper. I loved this little adventure so much, I might play with the concept again soon.

RICE PAPER CROQUE MADAME
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

for one serving

2 sheets of rice paper
1 cup water + 1 tablespoon white vinegar
sesame seeds to cover the extension of the rice paper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 thin slices mozzarella cheese
1 thin slice ham
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil spray

Lay a piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet. Pour sesame seeds covering more or less the dimension of a rice paper round.

Brush both sides of a rice paper sheet with the water-vinegar mixture. Lay on top of the sesame seeds, and repeat the process with a second rice paper, placing it on top of the first. Add a little mustard to the center, brush to form a thin layer. Add the slices of cheese on top, then the ham. You can do a full slice but it is best to cut it into strips and mound them over the cheese, leaving a space at the center. Delicately fold the edges of the rice paper, enclosing the filling, but leaving the center open. Gently crack an egg in the center, season with salt and pepper. Spray some olive oil on top, and either bake at 425F for about 12 minutes, or air-fry for slightly less time.

You can use tomatoes instead of the egg, or keep it simple with ham and egg only.

Bake until crispy and the egg is cooked.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: In many versions around, the rice paper is wet with a beaten egg. I tried that, but I have this odd reaction to the smell of egg wash as it bakes. To me it is very unpleasant, even if the taste is ok in the end. I opted to brush with water/vinegar, which is better than soaking if your goal is to have a crispy outcome. Plus, it is easier to do also. The egg version is a little tricky because there is a tendency of the egg white to spill out of the center, and there is also a risk of overcooking the egg yolk. You’ll need to play with the method a bit and figure out what works best for your oven. Air-fryer is much better than regular oven, by the way.

I absolutely loved these concoctions, and will definitely be making them often for my lunch!

1 YEAR AGO: Spaetzle, a Classic Made Lighter

2 YEARS AGO: Chicken Roll-ups with Asparagus

3 YEARS AGO: Flower-Shaped Dinner Rolls

4 YEARS AGO: Pride Macarons

5 YEARS AGO: Blood Orange Macarons

6 YEARS AGO: One-Two-Three Macarons

7 YEARS AGO: Marshmallow Macarons

8 YEARS AGO: Fujisan Bread

9 YEARS AGO: Air-Fried Tomatoes with Hazelnut Pesto & Halloumi Cheese

10 YEARS AGO: Red Velvet Layered Cake

11 YEARS AGO: Lemon-Lavender Bars

12 YEARS AGO: Quinoa Fried Rice

16Jun2026

THE BEWITCHING KITCHEN TURNS 17!

Posted in Cake by sallybr

Sometimes I cannot quite believe that I’ve been doing this for seventeen years, but what is even more amazing to me, is that I still feel a wonderful thrill every time I hit “publish” on a new post. And yes, I realize I’ve said that before, after all, it’s been seventeen years of cooking and sharing joy. To celebrate the occasion, I baked a cake, but to be completely honest, there were a few issues, so I am not sharing the recipe. It comes from a pretty well-known cookbook. Enough said. Chocolate layer cake, with fudge buttercream and ganache drip. The issue was the buttercream, but I did my best to work around the problem.

Four layers of chocolate cake, filling of fudge buttercream with bits of shortbread cookies, and a drizzle of caramel sauce. After frosting the cake, a dark chocolate ganache was poured on the flat top, allowing it to drip down the sides. A little extra buttercream to make rosettes on top, chocolate sprinkles and gold for good luck.

The cake was donated whole, so I cannot show the inside, but I heard it was very rich and delicious. As to the journey of blogging, mine will definitely keep going. Phil and I are officially retired for almost a full month, and want to expand a bit my horizon on cooking in general, attempting recipes that are a bit more exotic, maybe. Let’s see how it goes. If you’ve been here from the very beginning, thank you for hanging around for so long. If you are new to my little virtual spot, I hope you’ll find plenty of things to read about and maybe make in your own kitchen. Make it bewitching. And let’s step into the 18th year of food blogging, shall we?

1 YEAR AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns 16!

2 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns 15 years old!

3 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns 14!

4 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns 13!

5 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen Turns 12!

6 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns 11!

7 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen Turns 10, and a Giveaway…

8 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns 9!

9 YEAR AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns eight!

10 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen Turns Seven!

11 YEARS AGO: Bewitching Kitchen Turns Six!

12 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns Five!

13 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns Four!

14 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen Turns Three!

15 YEARS AGO: The Bewitching Kitchen turns Two!

16 YEARS AGO: Bewitching Birthday!

17 YEARS AGO: Welcome to my blog!

13Jun2026

SMASHED CHICKEN TORTILLA-PIZZA

Posted in Pizzas & Small Dishes, Poultry by sallybr

Another recipe that has my name written all over, I was inspired by many versions that kept popping on my feed online, and made my own. I know, the mix of ground chicken, tortilla and pizza sounds crazy, but it was crazy delicious! You could omit the chicken and use sautéed mushrooms (make sure they are sautéed well to evaporate all their water content), for a vegetarian version which will also be considerably lighter.

SMASHED CHICKEN TORTILLA-PIZZA
(inspired by many sources)

2 flour tortillas, 6-in diameteer
2/3 cup ground chicken
salt, pepper and smoked paprika to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce of your choice
shredded Mozzarella, amount to taste

Heat oven to 425F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Lay two tortillas side by side, cover with 1/3 cup ground chicken, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, add tomato sauce and cheese on top, continue baking for 10 more minutes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is not the place to use low-carb variations or corn tortillas, they won’t stand well to the high heat treatment with all the toppings. One tortilla was plenty for my lunch, and the second one was still ok warmed in the oven, straight from the fridge. They are better, however, on the day they are made, a few minutes out of the hot oven. If you go light on the tomato sauce, you can eat it like a taco, folding it in half and biting into it. I recommend you not to do that in mixed company, but as I like to say, your kitchen, your rules! It is deliciously messy…